


Freefall

by barrisscoffees



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: bc you know me, maybe vaguely implied barrissoka, sad :(, t because of violence i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 07:34:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18494305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/barrisscoffees/pseuds/barrisscoffees
Summary: Ahsoka is going to be executed tonight (The Wrong Jedi AU)





	Freefall

**Author's Note:**

> new clone wars trailer anyone? (@thedorkyastra edited this forever ago)

Sidious knew, of course, that Skywalker’s padawan was innocent. Knew that he could pardon her, could stay her execution, but he also knew an opportunity when he saw one. And the chance to push Skywalker to his breaking point–and sooner than anticipated!–was just too precious to squander. He almost wished he had more time to savor the feeling, more time to revel in the hate and anger young Skywalker steeped in. It followed his every step, it reeked of potencial. 

 

The boy had begged him to reconsider. To help. Sidious had laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.  _ My boy, were there something I could do… _ Skywalker would break.    
  


* * *

 

Anakin was ranting again. Padmé couldn’t tell quite who he was angry at. He regarded Ahsoka as something in between a child and a younger sister although she wasn’t sure Anakin himself knew this. 

 

He was beating himself up. If he had just found Ventress! If only could have figured out who actually bombed the temple!

 

In honesty it was a bit self centered. Ahsoka was going to… Ahsoka was going die and all Anakin did was talk about himself. But, Padmé supposed, it was just a coping mechanism. She herself was struggling not to blame herself (and failing miserably). She had failed Ahsoka. Padmé was regarded as one of the most impassioned speakers and best debaters in the entire galactic senate and yet she couldn’t get an innocent 16-year-old cleared of charges based on circumstantial evidence. 

 

The game was rigged from the start. Padmé felt sick to her stomach. Anakin had not been allowed to visit his padawan nor even attend her execution; the council feared he might act irrationally. As her lawyer, Padmé had been permitted a visit. Anakin begged her to communicate his regret. When she saw the small girl, she said none of that; Ahsoka didn’t need to be carrying Anakin’s grief and guilt on top of her own.  _ We love you. Don’t be afraid.  _ But how could Padmé honestly say that when she was so afraid.

 

She wished Anakin would comfort her. She needed that. She had come to care for Ahsoka as her own child; she had no doubt any child of her would be dotted on endlessly by their Auntie Ahsoka. 

 

Would have been. 

 

Would be.

 

Ahsoka wasn’t dead yet.

 

But she would be.

 

Anakin paused in his tirade. He must have seen the distress on Padmé’s face because he came to her side and held her. Just… held her. And gods above did Padmé need that.

 

* * *

 

 

Obi-wan could sense Anakin’s heartbreak and fury through the force. He felt it too. 

 

Anakin was too attached to Ahsoka; Master Yoda had warned of this. Obi-wan could hardly judge Anakin for this though. He too was attached to his former padawan–as well Ahsoka. He too felt helpless and guilty, but he feared his Anakin would take it too far.

 

Obi-wan tried to reach out through their training bond, but Anakin’s mind was so clouded with rage and darkness Obi-wan might as well have been trying to touch a burning stove. This was a bad sign, to say the least. Maybe he should inform Master Yoda of- 

 

No. For a moment Obi-wan had entertained the idea that Mace was right–that Anakin could not be trusted. No. He knew his padawan better than that. Anakin was a  _ good _ person. Maybe too attached but  _ good _ .

 

And anyways, Obi-wan doubted he could ever make himself violate Anakin’s trust that way.

 

* * *

 

Anakin was tempted to take Palpatine hostage right this very second. In his own office. The Chancellor was surveying him with that same  _ pitious _ look they all gave him. He was so angry he could hardly think. Angry at Obi-wan. Angry at the Council. Angry at Palpatine. Angry at himself.

 

He  _ promised _ Ahsoka he would never let anyone hurt her. He had all but lied to her. Scratch that. The Republic was going to murder his Padawan. He  _ had _ lied to her. 

 

When he showed up by the tail end of the trial, just as they were dragging her away, Ahsoka caught his eye.  _ It’s okay Master, it’s not your fault _ .

 

Years worth of memories flashed past his eyes in those moments. Almost losing Ahsoka on Mortis was nigh unbearable. Almost losing Ahsoka to those bastard Trandoshan hunters would have killed him. 

 

And all of a sudden, Anakin was angry with  _ Ahsoka _ . If she just hadn’t run maybe the tribunal would have taken her cooperation into consideration. So really this was all her fault. Again Anakin was angry with himself. How could he be so stupid.

 

The real person to blame was whomever had bombed the temple. If Anakin found them, there was no doubt in his mind he would kill them. If his padawan died first, well then they would suffer the same pain he would.

 

Anakin blew the chancellor’s doors open with a furious shove in the Force, slamming shoulders with the person directly outside the door. 

 

If Palpatine wouldn’t help Ahsoka  _ he  _ would. 

* * *

 

Barriss’s eyes were red. She hadn’t stopped crying since she heard the sentence. Had she been present, Master Unduli would have chastised her over emotional response. Calm, collected, perfect Barriss was not supposed to cry.

 

But it wasn’t supposed to go this far! Ahsoka was never supposed to die! Never supposed to be framed in the first place. Barriss had relied on Anakin catching Ventress–or at the very least a lesser sentence…

 

Now her closest friend was going to die at her hand–die as a direct result of her behaviour. If anything Ahsoka’s punishment had solidified her anger at the Jedi and at the Republic. Ahsoka was  _ sixteen _ ! How could they kill her.

 

That brought her here. Standing in front of Chancellor Palpatine’s regal office. If she confessed her culpability, he would be forced to release Ahsoka, and her point about the corruption of the Jedi would still be well made. Some  _ horrible _ ,  _ evil _ part of her whispered that it would be even more effective if they had already executed Ahsoka, but Barriss swore she wouldn’t let anymore hurt come Ahsoka’s way.

 

She had beat her and broken her spirit irreparably, but she would  _ not _ let her die. Barriss wondered what would happen to Ahsoka once she was released. Undoubtedly this would qualify to be her Trials. Would Ahsoka reclaim the mantle of Jedi Knight? Go back to war a full fledged General? The idea made Barriss sick. Or maybe she would be so disillusioned with the Jedi she would leave?

 

Irrationally, Barriss hoped Ahsoka would choose the latter and they could leave the Order together. That would never happen; Ahsoka was much too much of a fighter to ever leave the Jedi Order, the war; too passionate to leave her master and all she had ever known. In addition, Barriss admitted to herself reluctantly, lump rapidly forming in her throat, it wasn’t like Ahsoka would ever trust or care about her again.

The doors blew open. Anakin Skywalker’s shoulder slammed into hers. Barriss dropped her lightsaber in surprise; she picked it up and rolled it in her hand. She would have to surrender it to the Chancellor. 

 

Palpatine stared at her from his desk. A chill ran down Barriss’s spine. No one could be trusted.

* * *

 

Clone Trooper Siv considered himself a good man. At the very least, a good soldier. But this Jedi was just a child. Well, in years she might have been his age or older, but it didn’t feel right to be killing someone so small, so like the innocents he had been trained to protect. 

 

At the very least, firing squad seemed like overkill. At least the Republic had the decency to have a closed execution. No cameras. They could give the child that much peace.

 

On the command, Siv leveled his blaster. His stomach churned. Maybe the Jedi had sensed something sympathetic in him–he heard they could do that–because she turned her wide eyes on him. Curse this Togruta and her large shimmering eyes. 

 

He had his orders.

 

She pleaded with her eyes.  _ I’m innocent, I’m innocent, please _ . 

 

Siv felt sick.

 

He lowered his blaster ever so slightly. The togruta looked right at him, or right past him–Siv couldn’t really tell–she looked surprised. His arms sagging, he couldn’t-

 

A burning pain erupted in his chest. Blood pooled in his mouth, and Siv knew in that moment he would die. Out of the corner of his eye, protruding from his chest, he could see a tip of glowing blue. The last thing he saw was horror etching itself across the face of the small Jedi.

 

_ I hope you live. _ Siv tried to say, realizing only faintly, belatedly he had lost the power of speech. He slumped towards the floor.

 

Blackness.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this like... last year so if there are mistakes pls forgive me...


End file.
